16 Oct 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
On 27th September 2018 we hosted A Matter of Life and Death in the intimate Sackler Space at the Roundhouse. We invited over 120 guests to join us for an afternoon full of debate, discussion, emotion and performances. The afternoon started off with a performance from spoken word artist Lady Unchained, who set the tone […] … more »
04 Sep 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
The Ministry of Justice recently seized control of HMP Birmingham from G4S after a surprise inspection found that those inside ‘used drink, drugs and violence with impunity and corridors were littered with cockroaches, blood and vomit.’ (The Guardian). These are shocking findings but unfortunately there have been countless reports stating the horrific conditions of many […] … more »
07 Aug 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
A recent article in The Guardian states that we need to offer women support instead of prison, a viewpoint that Safe Ground is very much on board with. The article entitled ‘Police ‘need to offer female offenders support not prison’’ is based on a London assembly report that stated women’s crimes are often linked to […] … more »
23 Jul 2018 by Obinna Nwosu
The majority of the men who had taken part in the five week Fathers Inside course at HMP Stocken were reunited with their families for the first time in months, maybe even years. The presentation was made up of an array of performances, jokes, games and heart-warming stories and poems, written by the men themselves. […] … more »
08 May 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
‘LAGS MISERABLES’ hollered the front page of The Sun two weeks ago. ‘CONVICTS at a drug-plagued prison performed a lavish version of musical Les Miserables for the public — to boost lags’ morale.’ As someone convinced of the transformative potential of the Arts; and of the absolute necessity of artistic provision in our prisons, this […] … more »
03 Apr 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
Family to a man should mean love care safety and respect. To some it means nothing at all. In life you start off being born into a family usually with a mother and father with you as you go through your youth. Maybe your father worked hard for your family, maybe he didn’t. Maybe your […] … more »
06 Mar 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
Family Man and Fathers Inside are Safe Ground’s flagship family relationship programmes for men in prison, which have been delivered in over 50 establishments across England and Wales since 2003. Safe Ground alumni member Jason took the Family Man programme during his time in prison. It was great to have the opportunity to speak to […] … more »
05 Feb 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
On January 17th, the University of Warwick Criminal Justice Centre, in partnership with Safe Ground and The Howard League for Penal Reform, hosted a workshop titled ‘Chaos and Crisis: Can Prison Be Better Than This?’ The workshop aimed to discuss problems inside prisons and debate viable ways forward from a range of experts in the […] … more »
05 Feb 2018 by Keisha Bhamra
One of the great things about Safe Ground programmes is the end of programme presentation. The recent Man Up presentation at HMP/YOI Isis in January was delivered with humour and honesty. The opening speaker remarked that this was not “academy award stuff.” The insights gained were nonetheless riveting. Participants were eloquently talkative, very quiet and somewhere in between. This […] … more »
14 Dec 2017 by Keisha Bhamra
Safe Ground’s Fathers Inside and Family Man programmes have been completed by over 5000 students since 2003. I was delighted to be able to speak to one of our alumni, Richard, about how the arts and arts-based methodologies have helped him. Richard shared that Safe Ground was his first proper experience of the arts, apart […] … more »
Safe Ground is founded by Antonia Rubinstein and Polly Freeman in 1993, then established as a charity in 1995.
Men in prison at HMP Woodhill create a drugs prevention video ‘Ryan’s Choice’ for year 6 school children (1997/98)
‘Parents for the 21st Century’ collaboration with the prison service begins in 1999. This helps absent fathers, whom are in prison, learn how they can improve their parenting skills for children aged 6 to 12.
Film ‘Blinda’ is created by men in prison at HMP Wandsworth – the story concerns Frank, who is serving a 3-year sentence and has cut off all communication with his 8-year-old son Wayne.
‘Blinda’ wins an International Visual Communication Award in 2001.
Family Man launches at HMP Wandsworth in early 2003.
Family Man and Fathers Inside are firmly established, raising the profile of parenting and family relationships in prisons.
Safe Ground train Prison Officers at HMP Wandsworth to deliver Family Man.
The revised Family Man programme has been successfully trialled in 6 establishments.
Safe Ground are shortlisted for The Centre for Social Justice Awards.
Safe Ground train members of the Belgian Prison Service in using the arts to engage hard to reach learners
Creating Community Archives project begins at HMYOI Deerbolt, using archive materials to engage young men in prison in a dialogue with World War 2 veterans
Common Ground project begins, aiming to engage school children, older adults and people in prison in a creative dialogue
Transitions project takes place at HMP Wandsworth in October 2012
The project was a creative outlet, which produced short stories and film scripts, as well as film ‘The View’
Safe Ground on the Run raises £20,000!
New programmes in development include Man Up and Officers’ Mess
GROUNDation, Safe Ground’s first ever spoken word and poetry evening takes place at the LOST Theatre, Wandsworth
Safe Ground creates programme ‘The Cay’ and delivers rehabilitative culture training to the staff at HMP Balsam Ghut in the British Virgin Islands
A Justice Data Lab analysis finds that the one year proven reoffending rate for participants on the Family Man programme was 32%, compared to 39% for a matched control group of similar offenders
GROUNDation Poetry project wins a Gold award at the Koestler Awards in September 2015
Women’s programme ‘Our Own Stories’, a creative personal development programme for women, is piloted at HMP Styal, HMP East Sutton Park, HMP Askham Grange and HMP Low Newton
Safe Ground turns 21! An Open House event is held for the public to learn more about the organisation’s history
‘MOVING. HOME.’ Symposium is held at the National Theatre, exploring the meaning of ‘home’ with a range of panellists, including Safe Ground alumni and Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
A Justice Data Lab analysis finds that Fathers Inside participants are 40% less likely to re-offend than their counterparts.
Safe Ground win the Longford Prize for contribution to penal reform
Officers’ Mess is delivered at HMP Berwyn, with 86% of participants agreeing that the course made them think about how they respond in different situations
The Who Am I? programme in partnership with Ormiston Families’ Transforming Rehabilitation is rolled out in probation sites across the East of England.
Our Symposium ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ is held at the Roundhouse. We invite guests to discuss issues of punishment, prison, exclusion and harm. There are five performers, all with lived experience of the criminal justice system.
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